Mrs. C and I love to travel, whether in UK or overseas. I always treat travel as an opportunity to refresh the creative juices and as a source of new imagery for my website and blogs.
However, now that I live full-time in Plymouth UK, I have come to appreciate just how beautiful it is in the area in which we live and just how much there is on our doorstep, that we tend to ignore, just because we see it every day.
So I have started my first ever photo project which I have called “On My Doorstep”. It involves me documenting what I can see on my regular photowalks that are with 15 minutes of my front door.
I view this as a long-term project to cover all four seasons and which will enable me to delve much deeper in to the community where I live.
This initial blog is based on imagery rather than words and I hope to giver you a taster of what is outside of my front door.
1. The view from our balcony.
When we bought our apartment the view from our Balcony was the clincher. Each day its the same yet different. The seasons, the weather and the sun (when it eventually comes out) makes every day so different.
No matter how much I try I can’t seem to capture its beauty in a manner which truly reflects what I can see with my eyes.
Perhaps this is more a case of me needing to develop my skills as a photographer, refining composition and waiting for the right lighting? However, I treat this view as a juxtaposition, on one hand it is something I find deeply calming and relaxing, on the other it has become a challenge as I strive to capture that perfect image (assuming there is such a thing).
Perhaps I should listen to the wisdom of Mrs. C who is constantly quoting Voltaire at me, “not to let perfect be the enemy of good”.
View from my balcony across Sutton Harbour with Plymouth Sound in the distance.
2. Morning Coffee.
Morning coffee at the wonderful Cornish Bakery on Plymouth Barbican @cornishbakery plays a huge part in our daily lifestyle. We have always been coffee people; we like to make an effort and get out, irrespective of the weather, especially with family and friends.
Indeed, it is an opportunity to spend time both talking and listening to each other, skills that are increasingly diminishing in this modern world of social media and screen-based communication.
Cornish Bakery with its view across Sutton Harbour.
We are a family of habit and routine. So, when we walk through the door of the Cornish Bakery, the team are already preparing our order. I guess that’s the benefit of being local and supporting them in summer, winter, rain or shine.
I captured a few images of the Cornish Bakery team. They don’t always dress like this but this was Plymouth Pirate Weekend so they had all entered in to the spirit.
Our walk to the Cornish Bakery is the same each day yet, there is so much to see and imagery to capture.
All peaceful at The Three Crowns but try walking by on a Saturday night!
A bustling Barbican.
As you walk along the Plymouth Barbican you come to two well known “Plymouth Establishments”, Coffee and Donuts and Cap’n Jaspers. This is where the motorcycle crowd gather for their morning bacon sandwich and coffee.
Boys Get Sad Too.
Giving the Harley “the full noctilux”.
Poppy - The Biker’s Best Friend.
Morning coffee and an environmental portrait.
Food of The Gods.
Southside Street.
Classic morning Barbican image.
The Mods are in town.
Southside Street with eh famous Plymouth Gin Distillery in the background.
Standard Plymouthian Weekend Attire.
Early Morning Reflections.
3. Plymouth Hoe.
If you ask most people about Plymouth Hoe, they will tell you it is where Sir Francis Drake played a game of bowls, before vanquishing the Spanish Armada. Indeed it allegedly is, yet it is so much more.
If you are a people watcher and love ever changing scenery, then the walk from our apartment up on to Plymouth Hoe and back again is for you. So much to see en-route as well as when you get there.
Catch a ferry to Mount Batten, Royal William Yard or Cawsand.
Grab a coffee at Alfrescos but watch out for those pesky gulls.
The historic Mayflower Steps.
The Leviothan.
Guarding Plymouth Sound.
Ocean View - A great stop-off for a lunch or afternoon cocktail.
In my images of Plymouth, you will see that the iconic Smeaton’s Tower, the lighthouse that once stood on the Eddystone Reef, will always figure prominently. The challenge is how to capture it from different perspectives.
Smeaton’s Tower as Bokeh.
Stopping to enjoy the beauty.
A winter walk.
Perhaps a swim in Tinside Lido.
Pier One - Our coffee stop on the Hoe.
Picnic Time - Plymouth Health Food - A Pasty with No Chips!
A location to take time to reflect.
Those Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower to create a life in the “new world”.
We must remember that Plymouth is still a military town and is steeped in history. It is still important for the modern generation to take time to honour the memory of those who gave their lives to ensure the safety of ours.
Armed Forces Day.
In memory of those who gave their lives to protect our way of life.
Angry Clouds over Plymouth Hoe.
The Fish Market - Sadly now in decline.
A peaceful Sutton Harbour.
So there you have it. A selection of imagery from within 15 minutes of my doorstep. I will put a specific gallery on my gallery page which I will look to regularly update.
I have to be honest, Plymouth is rather like a football match, a game of two halves. I have only shown you the best bits. However, like all English cities, there is a darker side, one of decay, decline, of desperation and despair and of a cry for help. I have decided to leave that half for the time being. There is so much anger and despair in the world that for the time-being and for the sake of my mental health, I prefer to focus my lens in a more positive direction.
I hope you have enjoyed this initial glimpse of where I live and what effectively has become the area for my local photo walks. It really is a beautiful place and one I would encourage you to visit.
With warmest regards from a warm and sunny Plymouth.